Lowell council tells Lynch to reconsider pick for LHA board

LOWELL -- After councilors expressed strong opposition to City Manager Bernie Lynch's proposed appointment of Samkhann Khoeun to the Lowell Housing Authority's board of commissioners, the City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday night to approve Councilor Ed Kennedy's request that Lynch reconsider the choice.

Councilors Rita Mercier, Rodney Elliott and Joseph Mendonca said they could not vote in favor of Khoeun's appointment because of his work with the Community of Khmer Buddhist Monks to build a $10 million temple in Pawtucketville, a project that has racked up more than 30 violations of wetlands and building regulations since 2011.

"I'm troubled by the fact you would bring this name up and have me have to embarrass someone," Mercier said to Lynch.

Elliott and Mercier also highlighted that the LHA, which has had its own recent issues with complying with building regulations, needs a new board member who will encourage compliance with local regulations. The LHA renovated 132 units from 2008-2011 at the North Common Village without securing the proper permits or calling for inspections, which Elliott pointed out in his remarks.

"I think the LHA board needs a board member who will help uphold the law, not ignore it," said Elliott.

"They need someone in there who will follow the laws and rules and will not be oblivious to what is going on," Mercier added.

Mendonca said he could not support Khoeun's five-year appointment to the five-member board because he has been the public face of an organization that has violated numerous city and state environmental laws.

Advertisement

The councilor pointed to the Department of Environmental Protection's recent decision to overturn the Lowell Conservation Commission's granting of approvals for work at the temple site off Townsend Avenue, thereby denying the project.

Councilor Marty Lorrey said the stories he has read about the temple project also left him in a position where he was leaning toward voting against the appointment.

In response to some of the comments, Councilor Vesna Nuon suggested a delay of the vote. But Kennedy, who said he was not confident in Lynch's choice, spoke in favor of sending the appointment back to Lynch. He told The Sun he wants Lynch to bring someone else forward for the board.

The lone "no" vote on Kennedy's motion to have Lynch reconsider was Elliott. He said he wanted an up or down vote on the appointment Tuesday night. City Council confirmation would be required.

Lynch told The Sun after the meeting that he plans to speak to Khoeun Wednesday and decide what he will do about the appointment after that.

The manager said that because of the violations at the temple site, he would not have appointed Khoeun to a city land-use board, like the Conservation Commission.

But Lynch said despite the criticism of his choice from councilors, he feels Khoeun could do a good job on the LHA board because the agency has made working with first-generation youth a priority and Khoeun has experience working with that population.

Khoeun, a well-known member of the city's Cambodian community, is an academic adviser for the GEAR UP Massachusetts and TRIO Educational Talent Search programs. The programs are a partnership between Middlesex Community College and Lowell Public Schools designed to help first-generation, low-income and college-bound students finish high school and gain acceptance to college.

"He brings a lot of strengths to the table and his relationships with the youth of the city through his work would serve him well on the board," Lynch said.

Khoeun told The Sun after the council's vote that he felt he has been unfairly blamed for the violations at the temple site. He contends that he has helped the CKBM rectify the violations after they occurred.

By early November, the CKBM had taken the necessary actions to bring the site into compliance following a DEP letter identifying violations in June.

But Khoeun also said he was "not heartbroken" by the council's opposition to him serving on the LHA board.

"I would have loved to serve to help the tenants of the housing authority, but life goes on," he said. "It is their loss, not mine."

Deb Forgione, co-chair of the Pawtucketville Citizens, a group that has criticized the CKBM for its failure to comply with wetlands regulations, praised Kennedy and the council for asking Lynch to reconsider. She said Lynch should have done a more thorough vetting of Khoeun, especially his connection to the temple project, before putting him forward.

For now, the LHA member Lynch wanted Khoeun to replace, Walter "Buddy" Flynn, remains on the LHA board. He would be able to attend Wednesday's meeting.

The council also voted 9-0 Tuesday night to appoint retired U.S. Air Force Col. Cliff Krieger to the open slot on the city's three-member License Commission. Krieger's appointment will expire in early June.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.